ISLAMABAD: The JUI-Fazl has threatened to launch countrywide protests against the 21st Amendment if its ‘controversial clauses’ are not removed by next month.

“If the government does not remove controversial clauses from the 21st Amendment then we will launch a protest march,” Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said while talking to reporters outside his residence in the Minister’s Colony here on Monday after a meeting of the party’s central committee.

Also read: Fazl mobilising religious parties to protest against military courts law

“This law in its current form will encourage terrorists and promote terrorism,” he said.

A leader of the party said it had given a month’s deadline to the government to address its reservations about the specific mention in the law of sect-based terrorism.

“But we do not want to elaborate this point because it annoys some political parties,” the member of the JUI-F’s Majlis-i-Shura said.

He said there had been some meetings with PML-N leaders on the issue in recent days “but our shura has decided not to make any compromise over the controversial clauses”.

During his last press briefing on Jan 8, Maulana Fazl had said that the law described only bearded persons as terrorists but gave a clean chit to others.

He also mentioned the names of some parties in this regard. This stance was criticised by some political groups.

On Monday, the JUI-F chief said: “Our concerns are clear and known to all – we are against terrorism in all its forms, but this law is discriminatory to us.”

He said everybody had the right to protest and the JUI-F would protest against what he termed an international conspiracy to target seminaries and religious figures.

He condemned the recent stack on a mosque in Shikarpur and condoled with the families of victims.

“Our party has always opposed sectarianism and strived hard to ensure sectarian harmony,” he said.

He demanded legislation in consultation with all sects. Such legislation would help avoid sectarian clashes, he said.

Maulana Fazl announced that his party would actively participate in the coming Senate elections.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2015

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